The charge came to an abrupt halt. The academy's united fervor was doused cold by Thrúd's words.
"So we really have to make sure our hearts are pure and innocent to enter a realm full of cute elf girls?"
"Otherwise we'll fall into the… Giant Realm? That's basically gambling our entire lives!"
After exchanging glances—and a brief silence—one male student stepped forward with determination.
"Let me go! As a man, this is probably the one great gamble of my life!"
"Are you crazy?" his friend said in disbelief. "You, whose mind is full of lewd thoughts all day—how could you ever enter a pure and innocent Elven Realm?!"
"No!" The boy's eyes were resolute. "At this moment, my heart and actions are as clear as a mirror!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"I mean that in my pure and innocent heart, there's only one thought—having children with elf girls! No mere restriction can stop me from stepping onto the path to adulthood!"
With that, the determined boy strode into the radiant tunnel opened by the Valkyries, which connected to the Elven Realm inside the World Tree.
Moved by the sight of such determination, the crowd erupted into cheers.
"Ooooooh! That's a real hero!!"
"Go forth! May victory be yours!"
"The moment you take this step, you're already a true man!"
After sensing what happened inside the tunnel, Thrúd showed a regretful smile. "What a pity. His resolve was admirable, but he still failed in the end."
"He failed… so that means…"
"Damn it! So he fell in glorious sacrifice, my friend!"
You guys really are overly dramatic.
Hildr, who had been silent nearby, finally couldn't help but complain, "Alright, stop joking around, Thrúd. He won't fall into the Giant Realm. If someone doesn't meet the requirements to enter the Elven Realm, the worst that happens is this."
The shining tunnel connected to the World Tree spat the boy back out.
Ortlinnde explained, "That's how it works. The space forcibly rejects you, but it doesn't cause any physical harm."
"Ahhhh!" Clenching his fists and pounding the ground, the rejected boy roared unwillingly, "Why?! Why can Minazuki do it, but I can't?!"
Akasha: "(･･´ﾒ) You're a nameless background character. Of course you can't."
"(╯°Д°)╯ So there's no danger after all! Come on, brothers, charge again!"
With their spirits rekindled, the charging army didn't care about the poor pioneer who'd been cruelly rejected. They simply stepped over him and flooded into the radiant tunnel toward the Elven Realm.
What followed was a repeated scene—large groups getting bounced out, large groups charging in again.
"If I, as the Headmistress, get rejected by the Elven Realm at a time like this… wouldn't that be really embarrassing?"
Hoshino, who hadn't moved yet, had been worrying about that the whole time.
If other students weren't pure enough and got bounced out, fine—but she was the Duel Academy's Headmistress. She had an image to maintain. If she got blasted back out too, it would be humiliating.
Seeing through her thoughts, Thrúd tapped her chin and guessed, "Master, I think you're in a bit of danger too. It's not that your heart is impure, but… certain desires are a bit too strong. The Elven Realm might reject you."
What a troublesome bunch of elves. Do elves have to be completely free of desires?
Grabbing Hoshino's hand, Akasha smiled. "Don't be scared, Hoshino-nee. I'll go with you~"
Alexis followed suit and held Hoshino's other hand. "Exactly, senpai. We're with you. Let's go together and bring Minazuki back!"
That left-and-right harem-like feeling gradually calmed Hoshino down.
"You're right. Worrying out here won't help. The priority is making sure Minazuki doesn't become a casualty of the war."
Swallowing nervously, Hoshino stepped into the radiant white tunnel leading into the World Tree with Akasha and Alexis.
Once inside, their vision was swallowed by pure white. They couldn't see anyone around them.
It felt like the weightlessness of traveling through a time tunnel years ago—a gap between worlds that made everything seem unreal and dreamlike.
At first, their progress was smooth. Then suddenly, an inexplicable repulsive force struck. In her weightless state, Hoshino couldn't resist at all. If nothing changed, she'd probably be thrown out like all the others.
"So it's happening after all… the worst-case scenario."
["This isn't the worst yet, aibo—switching shift (change)!"]
A pyramid of light shone brighter than the tunnel itself. In the instant Hoshino and Hoshino Alter's souls switched, the force trying to eject them vanished.
"Just as I thought, it worked. Compared to purity of heart, aibo, you're still a bit inferior to me," Hoshino Alter said smugly as her body drifted smoothly toward the Elven Realm.
["That's not scientific! We're the same person—why are we treated differently?!"]
The pure white scenery of the tunnel slowly changed. Hoshino Alter, who had successfully entered the Elven Realm, stepped onto lush green land.
"This… looks like something straight out of a fairy tale," she marveled.
Amid a forest where nature gathered in harmony, neat rows of elven wooden houses were supported by magic atop tree branches.
Their arrival seemed to attract the locals' attention. From the little houses, elf children cautiously peeked their heads out—just as Thrúd described. So cute it was almost illegal.
"You made it, senpai!" Alexis, who had also entered successfully, smiled brightly when she saw Hoshino Alter. "I knew someone like you wouldn't be rejected by pure elves."
"Please stop, Alexis. I only got in by cheating… Hoshino's conscience is already starting to ache a little."
Kaiba Man, who had been observing the surroundings, analyzed, "So this is the Elven Realm… another world hidden within Yggdrasil."
Hoshino Alter said in surprise, "Kaiba Man, when did you sneak in? No, more importantly—how can you even enter the Elven Realm? You don't look like someone with a pure and innocent heart at all."
["So you're saying I'm less pure than a masked guy who wears a helmet all day? Just stab me already."]
"Senpai, senpai…"
Pulling on Hoshino Alter's sleeve and looking around, Alexis suddenly realized another problem.
"Akasha… didn't come in."
Outside the tunnel—
Akasha: "〒▽〒 I'm the only one who got bounced out?! That's so unfair!"
(***)
Even though they lost a companion right at the start, the duelists still had to move forward, carrying on their comrade's will and stepping over their fallen ally.
Because they were afraid that if control returned to Hoshino, the Elven Realm would immediately reject them, they kept Hoshino Alter in charge for now.
Continuing deeper into the forest, they reasoned that since the Light World King—Queen Mardel—was the king of Plant-type duel spirits, her residence would at least be different from the ordinary elf treehouses.
If they could find something like a palace, that would probably be the final boss.
Fortunately, the elves who lived in harmony with nature weren't particularly warlike. Facing outsiders like Hoshino Alter's group, they simply fluttered their little wings and followed quietly, observing without any hostility.
[Aromage Jasmine]
[Aromage Rosemary]
"So cute! Are these real elves?!"
The academy girls couldn't hold back their excitement at the elves' pure and adorable appearance.
Ironically, most of the students who actually made it into the Elven Realm were girls. Those loud guys outside were very realistically rejected by the realm.
Surprisingly, though, Syrus and Misawa also managed to enter.
"Strangers from afar, ahead lies the Queen's resting place. May I ask what business you have? Do you wish to meet Her Majesty?"
A gentle, elegant elf woman suddenly blocked their path. It seemed heading straight into the forest had been the right direction.
["She's asking what business we have? Your queen kidnapped my student—of course I'm here to rescue him!"]
Hoshino Alter replied in her mind, "Aibo, you can't say it like that. That's why you got rejected by the Elven Realm. Only those judged pure can enter, so the elves have no hostility from the start."
Clearly understanding, Alexis politely answered the elf woman, "Um, our friend is currently a guest of the Queen. May we go see him?"
"A guest of the Queen? She did mention entertaining guests tonight."
Without the slightest doubt, the elf nodded. "If you are friends of Her Majesty's guest, then you are guests as well. Ahead is the Queen's palace. Please enter."
Hoshino was stunned. "That's it? Isn't that too smooth? In a world full of greed and indifference, you have to be cautious."
"The Elven Realm really is different from the human world," Hoshino Alter said dreamily. "No deceit, suspicion, or desire… a fairy-tale world like this really exists."
"If possible, I'd like to live in the Elven Realm when I'm old," Alexis said happily, gently taking Hoshino Alter's hand and leading her toward the palace. "Let's go, senpai!"
Unlike the ordinary elf houses on tree branches, Queen Mardel's palace floated on a lake, connected by a rainbow bridge—luxurious yet harmoniously natural.
"Akasha's explanation was confusing before," Hoshino Alter said on the bridge. "Why did the Elf Queen kidnap Minazuki?"
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Alexis hesitated. "I was embarrassed to explain before… but after coming here, the Elf Queen doesn't seem like someone who'd do that. Let's go in and see."
A few boys rushed ahead and pushed open the palace doors.
"Hang in there, Minazuki! We're here to save you!"
"Stop your indecent behavior right now!"
Inside the palace, besides the lavish décor, they saw Minazuki slumped in a chair, looking completely drained.
"Did… we come too late?"
"Damn it, Minazuki! What did you even do with the Queen to end up like this?" Syrus grabbed his collar and demanded.
"Heh… I was wrong. I shouldn't have come," Minazuki said weakly, pale-faced.
"You ungrateful bastard! Isn't a beautiful, sexy older-sister-type queen enough for you?!"
"I thought so too." Minazuki looked at the jealous boys with disdain. "I thought that was how it'd be… but then she pulled out something bigger than mine!"
Hoshino Alter: "==?"
Syrus: "(ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!!"
Asuka: "⁄(⁄⁄•⁄⁄•⁄⁄)⁄!!"
"Wait, Minazuki," Misawa said calmly. "What did Queen Mardel pull out that was bigger than yours?"
"Of course it was a Duel Disk. Don't get the wrong idea, cute boys~" came Queen Mardel's gentle voice, answering for him.
"So this is the Light World King battle—Queen Mardel?" Hoshino Alter said, seeing her for the first time. "She really is stunning."
Smiling with eyes that seemed to see through hearts, Queen Mardel said, "You didn't disappoint me. Even after Dovelgus showed you the power of the King, you still came to save your captured friend instead of abandoning him."
"So Minazuki wasn't… you know… He was just brought here to duel?" Misawa asked in shock.
Hoshino Alter asked, "Then… what was the result of the duel?"